3,000 residents retrieve animals, belongings amid threat of Taal Volcano eruption
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2020 09:52:01 +0000
Thousands of residents under orders to evacuate from Agoncillo, Batangas, a town near Taal Volcano, were allowed to briefly visit homes on Friday to rescue their animals and recover some possessions, taking advantage of what appeared to be waning activity.
Daniel Reyes, mayor of the Agoncillo town inside the danger zone of the 311 meter (1,020 feet) volcano, said he allowed around 3,000 residents to check their properties and retrieve animals, clothes and other possessions.
“If I would not let them rescue their animals, their animals would die and together with them their sources of livelihood,” Reyes told Reuters.
A long line of cars, trucks, motorcycle taxis carrying pigs, dogs, television sets, gas stoves and electric fans, were seen leaving Agoncillo, among the towns blanketed in thick layers of volcanic ash.
“Our bodies are fine, but our minds and hearts are in pain,” said resident Peding Dawis, 63, while resting after taking his cows to safer areas.
Dawis said there were 200 more pigs that needed rescuing in his neighborhood.
“It’s hard to leave our homes and livelihood behind.”
More than 40,000 residents of Agoncillo have abandoned their homes since Taal, one of the Philippines’ most active and deadliest volcanoes, began spewing massive clouds of ash, steam and gas on Sunday, Reyes said.
The majority of residents are now staying with families elsewhere, but the rest are among a total of 66,000 people sheltering in evacuation centers.
THREAT STAYS
State volcanologists said it will take at least two weeks of closer observation to check if there is a downward trend on the activities of Taal Volcano before deciding whether to lower its alert level.
“Usually, may dalawang linggo tayong observation period para makita kung talagang pahupa na ang volcano,” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum said Friday.
“Definitely kasi may nakikita pa kaming pagkilos ng magma sa ilalim ng Taal, so usually, two weeks observation period ang ginagawa natin para lang maiwasan ‘yung resurgence ng activity ng isang bulkan at magkaroon muli ng pagsabog,” he added.
Phivolcs have been monitoring lesser activities on the surface crater of Taal Volcano six days after its phreatic or steam-driven eruption on Sunday, January 12, which surprised thousand of unaware residents, forcing them to immediately evacuate to safer areas.
In the latest update on the volcano’s activity, the Phivolcs chief said that “steady steam emission and infrequent weak explosions” have been observed in the main crater in the past 24 hours.
These activities generated at least 100 to 800 meters of tall dark gray ash plumes which blanketed lakeshore communities in the southwest to west of the main crater.
Despite the “relatively lull” period of Taal Volcano as observed in its surface crater, Solidum warned that there is still a threat of hazardous explosive eruption as movement of magma underneath Taal continues. (Alexandria San Juan)
According to Solidum, 65 volcanic tremors were plotted near Taal from Thursday morning to Friday morning, two of these were registered at magnitudes 1.3 to 3.1 and were both felt at Intensity I.
This brings to 634 the total volcanic quakes recorded by the Philippine Seismic Network since afternoon of January 12, 174 of wh
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